As Bradford City celebrates promotion, renowned photographer and lifelong fan Ian Beesley unveils a powerful series of black and white images capturing the soul of the club’s Premiership days—now on display at Salts Mill as part of his acclaimed retrospective Life Goes On.
Acclaimed documentary photographer and Bradford City devotee Ian Beesley is marking the football club’s recent promotion with a special display of photographs at Salts Mill. The images, all black and white, were taken during Beesley’s tenure as artist in residence at the club during their historic stint in the Premiership in 1999.
The works focus not on the pitch, but on the passion of the fans—the joy, excitement and inevitable heartbreak that define the football experience.
“I’ve been a season ticket holder at Bradford City for over 45 years,” said Beesley. “When Bradford City were promoted to the Premiership in May 1999, I was appointed artist in residence and given an access-all-areas pass. I thought I’d landed my dream job. How wrong I was! I found the transition from fan to photographer, spectator to observer unbearably difficult. I really didn’t enjoy the experience. After two seasons I handed in my pass and returned to the stands as a fan, where I’ve stayed put.”
Beesley had been quietly planning to reveal the images again for some time—but only if the timing felt right.
“Ever since it looked like the Bantams might be going up, I’ve been planning to add these images on to the walls at Salts Mill,” he said. “But I refused to jinx it by installing them too early!”
Now proudly displayed at the gallery as part of Life Goes On, the photographs form a new layer of Beesley’s half-century of work documenting Northern life. With over 200,000 images in his archive, the exhibition is a sweeping look at working-class experience, changing industry, and cultural life across the region.
In a lasting gesture, Beesley is donating his entire photographic archive to Bradford City Art Galleries and Museum to ensure his work remains publicly accessible.
Life Goes On, including Beesley’s Bradford City photographs, is open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am–5pm, with free admission through the end of the year (2025) at Salts Mill.
